Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Spalding's Dotted-Blue
Euphilotes spaldingi (Barnes & McDunnough, 1917)


Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male blue with wide dark border; female brown with orange band on both fore- and hindwings. Underside of both sexes gray with black spots and orange marginal bands on both wings.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/8 inches (2.5 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol erratically for females.
Flight: One brood from June-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Eriogonum racemosum in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including Eriogonum jamesi.
Habitat: Rocky outcrops on elevated pinyon-juniper plateaus.
Range: Northeastern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southwest Colorado, Utah, and western Nevada.
Conservation: Many populations on public lands are not in need of specific protection.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: Monitor populations and habitats for invasion of exotic plants such as cheatgrass.
Comments: NULL